Legislature(2013 - 2014)SENATE FINANCE 532

02/06/2014 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE


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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
*+ SB 155 SUPPLEMENTAL/CAPITAL/OTHER APPROPRIATIONS TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
Karen Rehfeld
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
= SB 111 REPEAL SECONDARY SCHOOL EXIT EXAM
Heard & Held
SENATE BILL NO. 111                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
          "An   Act   repealing    the   secondary   student                                                                    
          competency examination and related requirements;                                                                      
          and providing for an effective date."                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:07:03 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer continued public testimony for SB 111.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
RACHEL    ETCHER,    PETERSBURG   SCHOOL    DISTRICT    (via                                                                    
teleconference), testified in favor  of the legislation. She                                                                    
stated  that  much of  her  school's  staff time  was  spent                                                                    
preparing  for the  six  days of  testing  required for  the                                                                    
secondary  student competency  examination. She  stated that                                                                    
the  competency   tests  disrupted  teaching   routines  and                                                                    
limited  teaching   time.  She  stressed   that  collecting,                                                                    
accounting  for, and  shipping the  tests consumed  valuable                                                                    
staff time.  She felt  that greater  student needs  could be                                                                    
served during the time-consuming  test days. She stated that                                                                    
a  number of  students had  not been  able to  display their                                                                    
abilities  and  potential with  the  tests,  due to  anxiety                                                                    
related to the high stakes of the exam.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
RICK  DORMER,  PRINCIPAL,  PETERSBURG SCHOOL  DISTRICT  (via                                                                    
teleconference),   spoke  in   favor   of  eliminating   the                                                                    
secondary  student competency  examination  and the  related                                                                    
requirements. He  stated that the  test was not  an adequate                                                                    
representation of  students' skills.  He explained  that two                                                                    
of the  district's students  failed the  test by  one point,                                                                    
which  prevented them  from earning  a diploma.  He informed                                                                    
the committee that  some students were dropping  out of high                                                                    
school  as early  as  15 and  16 years  old  because of  the                                                                    
required exam.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:10:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GENE STONE,  MAT-SU, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT  MAT-SU SCHOOL                                                                    
DISTRICT  (via  teleconference),  spoke in  support  of  the                                                                    
legislation.    He    stated    that    students    suffered                                                                    
disproportionate  consequences for  failing the  high school                                                                    
qualifying exam.  His school district  supported alternative                                                                    
assessment  such as  the Scholastic  Assessment Test  (SAT),                                                                    
the American  College Test (ACT), Armed  Services Vocational                                                                    
Aptitude  Battery  (ASVAB)  or  WorkKeys  exams  that  could                                                                    
provide institutions  and employers with a  clear picture of                                                                    
a  student's  readiness  for   work,  military,  college  or                                                                    
vocational training.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:12:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
STEVE  ATWATER,  SUPERINTENDENT  KENAI  PENINSULA,  SOLDOTNA                                                                    
(via teleconference), spoke in  favor of the legislation. He                                                                    
strongly believed  that the exam  had outlived  its intended                                                                    
purpose. He  pointed out  that the  exam's intention  was to                                                                    
provide  a  quality  control for  the  school  districts  in                                                                    
Alaska.  He  believed  that  the   Kenai  district  had  the                                                                    
required quality  control, making  the exam  unnecessary. He                                                                    
added  that  greater  than  95  percent  of  his  district's                                                                    
students passed the test, but  the distraction and burden of                                                                    
the test were unnecessary.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer asked if Mr.  Atwater knew of other available                                                                    
methods  to accurately  measure  a  student's education.  He                                                                    
understood that the  governor supported the use  of SAT, ACT                                                                    
or WorkKeys as tools for evaluation.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Atwater agreed  with the  governor's proposal  of using                                                                    
the  SAT and  ACT  tests to  determine  competency. He  also                                                                    
believed  that the  school districts  possessed an  adequate                                                                    
amount  of quality  control.  He  wished to  see  an end  of                                                                    
course exam administered by each district.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:14:50 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-chair Fairclough asked  about the historical graduation                                                                    
rates following  implementation of the qualifying  exam. She                                                                    
noted a reported increase in  graduation rates following the                                                                    
implementation of the qualifying  exam. She highlighted that                                                                    
the state saw a graduation  rate of 62.9 percent increase to                                                                    
71.7 percent in 2013.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Atwater replied that the  initial impact of the exam was                                                                    
positive,  and   the  increase   in  graduation   rates  was                                                                    
attributable  to  the  accountability brought  forth  by  No                                                                    
Child Left Behind.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:17:31 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:19:18 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MIKE COONS,  SELF, PALMER (via teleconference)  testified in                                                                    
favor of the legislation. He  called attention to the change                                                                    
found on the  last page of the bill, lines  25-29. He stated                                                                    
that the  change impacted  young adults.  He hoped  that the                                                                    
exam could transition out of  use with minimal impact on the                                                                    
students. He stated that a  poor transition was limiting for                                                                    
Alaska's  students.  He spoke  against  HB  278, section  2,                                                                    
which also impacted the legislation.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:23:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer stated that  the governor's education omnibus                                                                    
bill  contained similar  intent.  He intended  to bring  the                                                                    
bill back to committee when the omnibus bill was heard.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:24:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Dunleavy pointed out that  the bill addressed issues                                                                    
other than the  high school qualifying exam.  He noted items                                                                    
regarding parental inputs, and  system reporting included in                                                                    
the  bill. He  opined that  the  bill resulted  from SB  36,                                                                    
legislation that was  proposed more than one  decade ago. He                                                                    
advocated for agency testimony prior  to merging SB 111 with                                                                    
the   governor's   omnibus   legislation.   He   recommended                                                                    
retaining   those   tools   proven   to   assist   education                                                                    
evaluations.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:25:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer  discussed the fiscal note,  which provided a                                                                    
credit.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
TIM  LAMKIN,  STAFF,  SENATOR GARY  STEVENS,  spoke  to  the                                                                    
concern  about transition  language. He  clarified that  the                                                                    
2017  phase-out provided  an  opportunity  for students  who                                                                    
failed  the  exam  to  take   it  again.  The  language  was                                                                    
consistent with the governor's bill.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:27:01 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-chair  Fairclough  asked if  the  state  had a  support                                                                    
contract to implement the legislation on an annual basis.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Lamkin replied  that  he was  not  acquainted with  the                                                                    
details of the contract.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SB  111  was  HEARD  and   HELD  in  committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:27:38 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                

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